Aoi Ryuu Ou - 青い龍王
by ariasune
Summary: Seto Kaiba's teenage years had been filled with corporate intrigue, card games, and overdramatics, so in the scheme of things, Mokuba's academic suspension is not the end of the world. [blueshipping] [updates wednesdays]
1. Nicor

Kaiba is asleep when he gets the call, and he is still mostly asleep when he answers it. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Kaiba stumbles through a cursory - even cold - greeting, and drops back on the bed fighting off a yawn. In the next moment, he bolts upright, voice going sharp: " _Suspended_?"

"Ah." The woman on the other end of the phone pauses. "Yes, Kaiba Mokuba has been suspended from Domino Middle School."

Kaiba has already rolled out of bed, staggering through his room for a new shirt. Despite that, his voice is clear as ice, "On what grounds?" He pulls his shirt on, switching his phone between his hands seamlessly. "His record is-"

"We are well-aware he has a perfect record," she interrupts him, of all things, and Kaiba bristles immediately. "I'm afraid the situation is complex; it would be better if this were handled in person."

"Complex?" Kaiba shrugs his coat on - the flashy silver piece that he's waged Battles in - something to unnerve the administration. "Elaborate."

She's squirming, he can _hear_ it. "Really, sir- it would be far better..." she sucks her breath in through her teeth, and Kaiba stalks from his room. "I think that, perhaps-" She swallows, loudly, and Kaiba almost snorts at her.

"I'm not sure how it could be complex; he has no warnings on his record," Kaiba is already out the door, waving his driver back - after all, he can drive faster. He clicks the door to his car open. The red one - the one he bought _for_ Battle. "Perhaps you can explain to me how it could possibly be complex." He closes the door, voice steely, threatening. "As yet, I do not understand."

This teacher should be a puddle on her office floor, instead, with a faltering, but firm voice, she tells him, "I'm afraid this cannot be handled over the phone. Please notify reception upon your arrival." It is insulting, and the only satisfaction Kaiba has, is that she does not hang up on him first.

Tossing the phone into the well of the passenger seat, Kaiba thumbs the ignition, and hits the gas without hesitation. As he expects, by the time his car screeches onto the school grounds, there are people waiting for him. He recognizes the man as Nakamura Yoichi, one of Mokuba's teachers, but the woman he takes a moment to place. Her short, dark curl of hair is familiar though - someone he has met with in the past. Both teachers have set shoulders, tight jaws, as though they are both expecting a war, and Kaiba has every intention of bringing that. At last, almost an afterthought, he places the woman: Suzuki Minato, Headmaster.

They bow, Kaiba doesn't so much as blink. "Where is my brother?" He asks flatly, not bothering to greet any of them.

Suzuki gestures towards the building, and without a further word, they enter the building. Out of the corner of Kaiba's eye, he can see faces peering through the windows. Still, everything is secondary, until he finally enters Suzuki's office, and sees Mokuba sitting on one of the chairs. Mokuba's arms and legs are kept close, almost as though he has folded himself inwards, and Kaiba automatically pushes past Nakamura.

"Are you hurt?" He asks, a tinge of fear flaring in his chest.

"No." Mokuba meets his eyes for a moment, before decidedly looking away. Despite the deflected gaze, Kaiba watches Mokuba closely for a few moments, before looking back at Suzuki.

"I am still struggling for an explanation," he states, eyes narrowed.

"Well," Nakamura is a mess, pushing his glasses up. Kaiba has no patience for this man, and yet, he reaches for his cool, detached expression, as he _barely_ tolerates Nakamura. "We were actually hoping you might be able to help us with that."

Kaiba's patience was not there when he got here, and his veneer of tolerance snaps. Whipping his head round, he stares at Suzuki pointedly. "You've told me to come here before you explained the situation," he flicks his head dismissively at Nakamura, "now he tells me that you have no explanation, and you _want_ me to give you one - something I obviously do not have, or I would _not_ be here."

Sharply, Suzuki indicates Mokuba, "Mokuba attacked-" there is a scoff from Mokuba, but he doesn't turn to look at them, "another student." Her lips purse. "And he has no explanation for himself."

"Haven't you asked the other student, this-" He waves a hand.

"Maruyama Eiji."

"Him." Kaiba doesn't have time for this. "Haven't you asked him what he did to provoke Mokuba?"

Suzuki gives an empty shrug of her hand. "He maintains Mokuba attacked him first, without provocation-"

"Does that seem likely?"

Testily, Suzuki stares Kaiba down as well as she can. "The entire classroom confirms Eiji's account." She squares her shoulders. "Given Mokuba's record, amongst other mitigating factors," that is a transparent nod to the Kaiba name and power, but it is strangely appreciated at the moment, "we believe there must be more to the situation." She sighs, "however, he has not spoken at all."

Scoffing, Kaiba looks between the teachers, "That should tell you everything."

"It tells us nothing. _That_ is the point." Raising herself to her full height, which is not impressive, but Kaiba had long ago given up on height as the measure of a person, Suzuki continues. "We - _humbly_ \- request that you speak with Mokuba," Kaiba stares her down, and Suzuki falters. "We would like to handle this as delicately as possible..." Her eyes flick back to Mokuba. "For Mokuba's sake, at least."

They watch each other, but Suzuki has successfully convinced Kaiba, and he turns his attention to his younger brother. As before, Mokuba is curved into the corner of his seat, hands resting tightly in his lap, and ankles crossed. He studies the wall with an intense, and insincere focus. Sighing, Kaiba turns to face Mokuba again, this time crouching down to look him in the eye.

"Mokuba." There is a soft listening sound from Mokuba, and Kaiba takes that as a cue to continue. "What happened between you and Maruyama Eiji?" Mokuba doesn't look at him, and Kaiba's eyebrows furrow. He doesn't know why Mokuba won't speak now. Earlier, he can believe Mokuba would lapse into a protective silence, but Kaiba is here, how can Mokuba say nothing?

Whatever it is, Kaiba trusts Mokuba's judgment implicitly; his younger brother has dealt with situations that would intimidate grown men, and has done so with grace and intelligence. Standing again, Kaiba moves between Mokuba and the teachers. "My apologies," he begins, the statement mere courtesy, "it has obviously been a difficult day for everyone involved." He glances back at Mokuba, "I would like to take my brother home now."

"We understand." Nakamura slides out of the way readily, but Suzuki stays still.

"Of course," Kaiba clarifies, "I will be in contact shortly." He inclines his head to Suzuki, "I think we would all loathe to do anything hastily." Suzuki nods, and holds out a business card for Kaiba. He pauses, but takes it anyway, glancing at the number, before handing it back to her. She raises an eyebrow at that, but he reassures her smoothly, "As I said, I will be in contact. Mokuba?" Kaiba looks back at Mokuba, who slides out of his seat.

There is the itch of Mokuba's classmates watching them leave, but the Kaiba brothers have existed in a limelight since they were adopted. They shoulder the stare, not even shrugging it off, but instead leave straight-backed, eyes forward. There is a characteristic silence between them, like armour. The barest of eye-contact when Kaiba pulls the passenger-side door open for his brother.

However, once Kaiba is behind the wheel, and the school is behind them, those same defences come down. He glances from his back-mirror to Mokuba, only to find Mokuba gazing out the window. "Mokuba." His brother gives no reaction, no indication he has even heard Kaiba. Discouraged, Kaiba continues carefully: "What happened between you and this other student?"

"Eiji," Mokuba murmurs, still studying the buildings that flash by. Kaiba's eyes return to the road. There is _something_ in Mokuba's tone, but Kaiba cannot place it.

Feeling inadequate, Kaiba adjusts his fingers on the steering wheel. "Whatever he did, I can-"

"I can handle it," Mokuba says forcefully, briefly turning his head to look at Kaiba fiercely, before staring back down at his lap. "It's fine," voice evening out, "I can handle it." For a brief moment, Mokuba's fingers dig into the fabric of his uniform, before relaxing. "You wore your Battle City coat."

"Ah," Kaiba meets Mokuba's gaze at last, only in the mirror, but still, there is a warm flush of relief. "I thought- perhaps-"

The quiet laugh is the best sound he has heard all day. "It's okay." Mokuba's smile fades. "Thank you, brother. Really, the Eiji thing doesn't matter."

"No...?"

"Yes," Mokuba confirms, "I took care of it." There is still that strange, silky quality in Mokuba's words, and his eyes drop back to his lap. "I can't explain myself."

Kaiba pauses, trying to catch Mokuba's eye in the mirror. Wants to gauge what that means. But Mokuba stays fixated on not meeting his gaze, and finally Kaiba has to ask: "Can't as in can't, or...?"

"I-" Mokuba shifts in his seat, leather squeaking. "I really would like not to..."

"Mm." Kaiba taps his fingertips on the curve of the wheel. "That makes things more difficult with your suspension." Still there is no question that Mokuba will not be forced into explanation. The curiosity scratches under Kaiba's skin, but he will defend Mokuba's decision until his back gives out and breaks. "I may need to take some time off work."

"Oh." His brother looks at Kaiba out of the corner of his eye, steadily watching him. "I'm sorry," Mokuba pauses, but not for long, edging slightly closer. "I... hope it won't be a long break."

"It won't," Kaiba assures, without really thinking about it. Until this is sorted out, how could he even consider returning to work? There is a brief lull of dread; after this, and with no explanation as well, surely Mokuba will face expulsion? Kaiba had been specific about a school with a zero-tolerance policy towards this sort of thing. Sighing, Kaiba leaned the car into a smooth turn. "It will be as long as it needs to be."

Still watching him closely, Mokuba asks softly: "What if they expel me?"

So it had occurred to Mokuba as well? He should have expected that. "As long as it needs to be," he repeats, and when he glances at Mokuba, he can see a brightness in Mokuba's eyes. Uncertainly, he smiles at his brother. "Anyway, we should spend more time together," he suggests, trying to see a bright-side. "You've been busy with schoolwork lately."

" _I've_ been busy?" Mokuba echoes, petulance sparking in his voice. "You've spent the last year living in your office."

"Well-" he coughs.

"You _have_ ," Mokuba folds his arms over his chest, slouching into his seat. "Since you finished highschool, it's been all work, no play."

"Yuugi has been overseas this year," Kaiba defends, "there was no one else to play against."

"Jou- don't pull that face, brother - you could always duel Jou. He's only a little beneath you."

Giving an exaggerated huff, Kaiba narrows his eyes at the road. "He is also retaking his entrance exams for law."

"Oh right... Jou's a ronin," Mokuba looks up at the roof of the car, thoughtful, "and Yuugi is overseas. Growing up seems so boring."

"Highschool next year," he reminds Mokuba, who gives an immediate grimace. "Don't pull that face, Mokuba," he laughs then, the sound stilted but honest. Ill-practiced might be the word. "This will work out, I will make sure of it." It's sudden to the point of uncomfortable, but still, so honest that Mokuba reaches over to awkwardly pat his arm.

"I know." His brother retreats again, but the comfort is still a warm, ghost-like touch on Kaiba's arm. "Thank you."

Kaiba doesn't say anything to that, but there is an faint smile on his face as he pulls into their home. Exiting the car, brushing the long trail of his coat out of his way, the two of them head into the house. Normally being both awake, and home, Kaiba would ruffle Mokuba's hair, before moving off into his office. However, aside from a hasty e-mail down the chain of command, there is something pulling Kaiba away from his desk.

The strange silk to Mokuba's voice, the way he had folded into himself, like paper taking a new, cryptic form - something hidden in the origami close of his body language. There is more to this situation than Mokuba has implied, and much more than he has said. Worried, Kaiba moves to awkwardly ruffle his brother's hair, smoothing his fingers in it.

"You're getting tall," he says for lack of anything else to say, and it's true - Mokuba is growing like a weed.

Mokuba gives a soft huff, "Or you're shrinking."

He scuffs Mokuba's hair more. "Rude." Kaiba fiddles with the length of Mokuba's hair and tsks, "You need to trim this back."

Mokuba's grin is toothy, eyes flashing. "Says the mullet," he pauses, studying Kaiba for a moment, before asking uncertainly, "Did you wanna watch something before dinner?"

His brother should never be uncertain of his place in Mokuba's life, so Kaiba nudges him towards the living room. "Pick something out, I'll join you in a moment." Kaiba plucks his phone out, and waves off Mokuba's skeptical expression. "I _will_. I need to sort _your_ school out."

By the time he joins Mokuba, Kaiba's stomach is growling, and his brother is asleep, sprawled on the arm of the sofa. Guiltily, Kaiba crouches to brush Mokuba's fringe out of his face, shifting to pick him up, but Mokuba is an unfamiliar weight now, and Kaiba feels insufficient, incapable for one dizzying moment too long. And then Mokuba is yawning, tugging at his sleeve, and wriggling up on the couch to make room. "Brother," his voice is tired, relieved even. "The movie."

"We should sleep."

"Why?" Mokuba gives a persuasive sounding laugh. "Not like we got school tomorrow." He squirms, sits up clumsily, and makes room for Kaiba.

"That," Kaiba says with a smile, "is where you're wrong."


	2. Ouroborous

Mokuba turned, blinking in small flashes. "Wrong...?" There was a touch of dread in his voice, through the confusion, and Kaiba immediately tried to reassure him. He slips into the space Mokuba has made for him, and awkwardly tries to be of comfort.

A pat on the head, that Mokuba eyes derisively, and squirms out from under.

"Your suspension has been- suspended." Kaiba allows a smirk to flourish over his face.

"I'm not being expelled?" Mokuba asks flatly.

"No, no you are not."

Squinting, Mokuba's mouth settles into a small, suspicious frown. "But Seto," Kaiba blinks, uncertain he heard that correctly, because he hasn't heard his first name since Isis dared, and never from his brother, never from Mokuba- "They weren't talking suspension," Mokuba insists, and Kaiba's focus shifts, only slightly, narrowing, "they wanted to kick me out."

"And now they don't," Kaiba tilts his head. "You're not happy."

Mokuba studies him for a long moment, and then looks down in his lap for a longer one, still and quiet, and Kaiba isn't sure what to do: should he tease his brother, should he question him? Should he leave him be? He trusts Mokuba, but - Kaiba considers the thought - Mokuba will not trust him with this, and Kaiba doesn't know how to convince him, but neither does he know how to back down.

"Mokuba-"

"You have work tomorrow then?" Mokuba says at last, interrupting him with the question.

"No, not tomorrow." Mokuba is angry - upset, disappointed, the emotion is a baffling question that Kaiba sets aside, because whatever it is, Mokuba is reactive to Kaiba's work schedule. "I can drive you to school."

"I don't want you to." His brother explodes, as much as either of them do at each-other: clipped words, and burning glowers. "I don't want to go to school tomorrow." Kaiba opens his mouth, Mokuba's name slipping out, and Mokuba cuts him off again, "you can't talk, they'd have kicked you out for absence if they could have."

Kaiba does not know what to do. He doesn't. Mokuba's expression is heated and hot. Mokuba is interrupting him, and defying him, and snapping at him, and Kaiba is angry, and he missteps, face twisting furiously.

"Don't talk that way to me."

It is an order, and Kaiba freezes when he gives it, but- Mokuba meets it like a challenge, sneering: "I can't talk? I've got perfect attendence, compared to you-"

"You were nearly expelled today for fighting."

"I should have been expelled," Mokuba spits.

They're no longer pressed together on the couch, but facing each other down, and between his rage, and Mokuba's sharp defiance, Kaiba cannot begin to handle this gracefully. He wants - desperately, desperately wants - his brother to- to what? Behave? Submit? Kaiba feels faintly sick at the desire to crumple Mokuba's rebellion, and more terrified than ever, that he's not sure he can.

Mokuba, for his part, keeps going.

"I punched Eiji. I should have been kicked out. If Eiji had hit me, he'd be out on his ass for sure," he sneered. "But there are never consequences for us, are there, Seto? Because the school has a whole building with our stupid name on it," Kaiba can see Mokuba shaking, trembling as he adds furiously, "or your name, anyway, because I sure didn't ask for it."

It's hurtful, even cruel and Mokuba must know that, because his eyes are glittering, because Kaiba is shouting: "I did it for you!" He's shouting. Why, why, why is he shouting?

"I didn't ask you to!" Mokuba shouts back, because this is how they can explode at each other now. Snarls, and spitfires, Kaiba has never been so furious with his brother, and it is painfully confusing to feel that way. He wants to force Mokuba into obedience, and has never felt so ashamed of himself for that thought.

He breathes in. He breathes out. His chest is buckling tight around his lungs, but he braces himself on his self-control.

"Mokuba," Kaiba says carefully, and clearly. "We have school tomorrow, and we need to sleep."

Kaiba sees Mokuba suck his breath in, stilling in the middle of a retort. "We...?" Mokuba asks uncertainly.

"I have applied for a course at the local university, even so late, I expect I will be accepted immediately." Mokuba stares at him, dark-eyes round and glossy with confusion. He sighs, slow, steady, steady, steadying as he sinks into the couch again. "Mokuba, I am not sure your school will allow any further misdemeanours."

"I'm on thin ice," Mokuba says quietly, and Kaiba nods briskly.

Then falters- "Are you happy at school?" Kaiba asks softly. "I don't know what this boy said, or did to you, and- I won't push." He looks down, fists clenched and tight against his knees. Forcibly, he unknots his hands. "I can't- I won't force you to go back, but- I need time before I can tutor you from home, between my work and the necessary study-"

"I don't want to be homeschooled," Kaiba feels Mokuba seize onto his hands. "Really, brother, I don't- I want to go to school- you don't need to-"

"I would trust nobody else with you," Kaiba finishes tiredly.

"But you don't need to," Mokuba pleads.

"Mokuba, there may not be other options-"

"I'm not asking you to!"

Mokuba's grip on Kaiba's hands is sharp, desperate even, and Kaiba gently allows it. "Mokuba." Careful, exhausted with affection, and the hollow space where his anger had been earlier, Kaiba rubs his thumbpad on Mokuba's hand. "That's what big brothers do, Mokuba - what they aren't asked to."

His brother stares at him, quivering all over, and Seto slowly eases Mokuba against him. They do not hold each other often, but Mokuba grips on tightly, trembling. "Please, brother," Mokuba croaks, "don't."

"It's okay," he promises, "I want to do this for you." There is a sound that spills out of Mokuba then, a clunk of a sob that snuffles against Kaiba's shoulder, and when he hushes, Mokuba twists away so Kaiba can't see him crying. Still, he understands that, and Kaiba lets Mokuba press into the crook of his shoulder, as he carries Mokuba to bed. Mokuba is heavier than he once was, but Kaiba is strong, strong enough to carry his little brother.

Mokuba looks at him from the bed, eyes red-bright, and biting at his lip, and Kaiba is awestruck once more at how much he loves his brother. It unsteadies him again, and he feels weak, and he feels strong, and he feels like he would tear reality down around him for this person, he would do anything to make Mokuba happy. The feeling is strong, unnerving, and all Kaiba can do for it, is crouch by his side, and ruffle his brother's hair awkwardly.

"...are you going to bed?" Mokuba murmurs.

"Mm," Kaiba nods.

"Promise me."

"Of course," Kaiba nods.

He is getting back to his feet, when Mokuba's hand catches him. "Seto," that is unmistakable now, Mokuba is using his first name, "promise me."

Kaiba's expression flickers, and he nods slowly in the darkness. "I promise." He can feel Mokuba's grip relax on his arm, before releasing him. "Good night," Kaiba pauses, and then murmurs, "brother."

"Good night, brother," Mokuba answers, and the tension relaxes in Kaiba, and he can feel his agitation ease. Not at peace, but more certain, Kaiba closes the door behind him, and returns to his office.

* * *

Mokuba does not eat breakfast with him, but that isn't so strange; his brother sleeps in almost as much as Kaiba does. Today, however, Kaiba made sure that he would be awake when his brother was, by simply staying up until Mokuba had to leave for school. He isn't even sure Mokuba will be going to school, until Mokuba stumbles into the kitchen in his uniform.

"You're late," Kaiba says without thinking, and Mokuba eyes him, scanning. "I can drive you-"

"Don't bother," Mokuba pushes the button on the toaster, waiting by the counter. Pulling his bag over his head, Mokuba goes rifling in his pocket for a hair-tie, pulling his short hair back into the smallest, scruffiest ponytail.

"Is that allowed?" Kaiba can't help but ask; wasn't that rule why Mokuba cut his hair in the first place?

Mokuba's toast pops, and he takes a crunching bite and shrugs at Kaiba, "whatever."

Silent for a long time, surprised by Mokuba's disregard, Kaiba trots after Mokuba for the door. Exasperated, he tries to block Mokuba's path with an arm. "Mokuba, you can't be late today. At least let me drive you."

Gracefully, Mokuba swings under Kaiba's arm, and turning back, does another head-to-toe look at Kaiba. His eyebrows raise at Kaiba, frowning. "Thanks, but no thanks," Mokuba turns away, shoving the remaining toast into his mouth, and stalking towards the gate. At the very last moment, Mokuba yells back with his mouth full: "You should get changed!"

Looking down at himself, Kaiba blinks at the clothes from last night, and then back up at Mokuba's vanishing ponytail. This- this has been exhausting, and when Kaiba closes the door behind him, he leans against it. After the - the fight, that had been what it was - after the fight last night, Kaiba thought maybe they'd made peace, but this isn't even an armistice.

Reluctant, Kaiba fiddles with his phone, and even more reluctantly, taps the call button. Whilst the dialtone trills, he gathers himself a bit, reaching for polite and collected, before-

"Kaiba!"

"Jounouchi," he winces. This old acquaintance is loud, even this early in the day, but Kaiba needs a favour, so he doesn't snap. Instead he asks crisply, "are you free for lunch?"

There's a cackle on the phone, "are you free to buy it?"

Irritating, Jounouchi is so, deeply irritating that Kaiba's teeth grind, and that only makes Jounouchi sound more amused, when Kaiba retorts: "2000 yen."

"Oh, that bad huh?" Jounouchi snorts. "Did you forget his birthday again?"

"Now it's a 1000 yen." Kaiba all but spits into the phone.

"Hey, hey, I'm just messing with you." There's a generous hum on Jounouchi's end. "Let me finish up here, and we can meet in town in an hour, you know the curry place near the book store? CoCo?"

Jounouchi has taken Kaiba to Curry House CoCo Ichibanya three times for their Red Bean Black Dragon Curry (which tastes as good as you'd expect given the second-rate dragon it's named for) so Kaiba doesn't dignify that question with an answer.

There is an awkward silence from Jounouchi whilst he works it out, and Kaiba prompts tiredly: "An hour?"

"...uh right, meet you in an hour, yeah."

There's no point in responding to that, so Kaiba hangs up in the middle of Jounouchi's goodbye.

* * *

Jounouchi doesn't look frazzled, for once. He's been looking worn-out with exams, but he looks almost neat. At least within his standards, Kaiba supposes. The last few times they've met up, Jounouchi had been dressed in sweatpants. Stained sweatpants.

Shuddering at the thought, Kaiba stops studying Jounouchi to sip his beer in a show of faith, before he starts this. Truthfully, the liquid encouragement is an appealing thought with this sort of business meeting, and with that, Kaiba takes a deeper drink.

"Sure you're not going to eat?" Jou looks up over his curry, nose crinkling slightly. "Looking kinda thin, there."

Jounouchi on the other hand has never needed alcohol to talk rudely.

Setting his glass down, and dismissing Jounouchi's comment, Kaiba announces: "Mokuba was sent home for fighting yesterday."

Across from him, Jounouchi pauses, a spoonful of food waiting in front of his nose. "...huh." Jounouchi finally stuffs the spoon into his mouth, eyebrows screwing up. "He is a bit of a hot-head, but, that's still pretty full-on." Scraping the food on his plate until he has another heaped mouthful, Jounouchi squints at Kaiba. "What did you do?"

"Handled the accusations, of course," Kaiba answers, affronted.

"So," Jounouchi lowers his spoon, "did Mokuba get in a fight?"

"He- punched a boy. Maruyama."

"Then it's not an accusation," Jounouchi chuckles. "Wonder what Maruyama said to Mokuba."

Kaiba looked down, and glumly reached for his beer. Nursing it, he rolled a shoulder, "he wouldn't tell me."

"Shocking," Jounouchi drawled. "So- what did you do about it?"

"I told you-"

"No," there's a friendly snort, that Kaiba dislikes far more than an unfriendly one, "I meant about Mokuba."

"I told-"

"Tch," Jounouchi takes a deep, swelling gulp of his own beer. "So you didn't do anything about it." He rolls his eyes. "Another huge surprise."

Drawing himself up, Kaiba stares Jounouchi down. "What was I meant to do about it? I can't help him if he won't-"

"Hah!" Toasting his beer at Kaiba, Jounouchi grins. "He punched the boy; somehow, I don't think Mokuba needs help." The grin fades slightly, "so you just let him hit someone?"

Kaiba's fingers tighten on his glass, even as he takes another drink. "I came here for your advice, not for you to accuse Mokuba of-"

"Again, if he actually hit the kid," Jounouchi toasts him, "it's not actually an accusation." The glass sets with a firm clunk. "Great lesson you taught him, by the way: if you punch people, you can get away with it. Stunning."

Quiet, looking away, and slowly putting his drink down, pushing it away from him, Kaiba drums a perfectly manicured nail on the table. "That is... precisely what Mokuba said."

Jounouchi squints across the table. "I'm confused."

"He- criticized me for revoking the suspension."

"Suspension," Jounouchi echoes, and then shakes his head. "Mokuba told you off for nepotism?"

"...mh."

"He wanted to be punished for it?"

"I don't know," Kaiba admitted roughly. "He was furious this morning too."

"With you?" Kaiba can't even answer that, just look away uncomfortably. Jounouchi clicks his tongue, leaning back in his spot. "Well shit. You guys fought." Kaiba's discomfort is a flourish that makes him shift in his place. "Double shit," Jounouchi breathes, leaning forward again, "you lost your shit with him, didn't you?"

"He was-" Kaiba's face scrunches up, trying to feel justified and only feeling guilty. "He was being disrespectful. He was being reckless."

"And he was pissed this morning too?"

Sighing, Kaiba shook his head. "Maybe."

"Maybe," Jounouchi repeats, and then slumped back in his spot with a heavy huff. "So..."

"So."

Jounouchi rubs at the bridge of his nose. "So, now what?"

Kaiba gestured frustratedly at the table between them. "Now I'm asking you."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Jounouchi sighs, and taps a foot. "And I've got nothing." He looks to the side. "That you wanna hear anyway."

"I don't come here to listen to what I want to hear," Kaiba murmured, picking at the table with the edge of his nail.

"Punish him," Jounouchi declares.

"He didn't do anything wrong."

"Noooo," an eyeroll, "he just punched a kid."

Fiercely, Kaiba clenches his hand, head shaking. "I'm not going to punish him for defending himself."

Jounouchi's shoulder twitches in the faintest shrug. "Well he seems to want you to."

"I'm not punishing him for-"

"Heard you the first time," Jounouchi huffs demonstratively. "You can tell him off for handling it like a hot-head."

Kaiba hits his fist down on the table, staring at Jounouchi. "I will not punish my brother for defending himself-"

Scoffing, Jounouchi slips out of the booth. "Yeah, alright." At first Kaiba thinks Jounouchi hasn't even finished his meal, but a quick glance tells him that, no, the plate is clean, and there is the barest mouthful of beer left in Jounouchi's glass. He looks up at Jounouchi, unable to force him to stay and offer a different answer.

Jounouchi - always forward - pats Kaiba on the shoulder twice. "Doesn't need to be a big thing. You can just tell him you're disappointed he got caught doing it." Kaiba rolls his shoulder to chase the pitying pat off. "If I can have a beer without being a drunkard, then you can tell him he disappointed you."

"I'm not disappointed though," Kaiba slowly gets up as well. "I'm worried."

"Yeah, and that's why you lost your temper with him," Jounouchi remarks wryly. "Look, I need to get back to the books before university starts," he gives a noisy, huffy sigh at the thought, "but I'm always free to get a drink."

"I appreciate that," although, frankly, Kaiba is miserable with Jounouchi's pity. It is the last thing he wanted from this meeting, but the first thing he wanted was advice, and whether he likes it or not, Jounouchi's advice is different. Sound remains to be seen, but Kaiba expected that. "I'll talk to Mokuba." After a moment, Kaiba adds stiltedly, "congratulations on your law placement. I- imagine I will see you there." Jounouchi grins, and cocks his head curiously. "I have started a teaching degree."

A mocking snort. "You? A teacher?"

"You? A lawyer?" Kaiba counters.

"Tch, point," still grinning Jounouchi once again claps a hand on Kaiba's shoulder. "Good luck."

Kaiba smirks, mouth ticking slightly with derision as they move to the exit. "Some people don't need luck."


End file.
